Crossroads 2026: Another Poll Shows Alan Wilson Leading the Field

The below article, originally published in FITSNews, highlights a recently-released Palmetto Promise poll that highlights conservative voter attitudes toward lawsuit reform and the 2026 gubernatorial race.

Columbia, S.C. (FITSNews) – A flurry of surveys has been released this month in the race for governor of South Carolina – polls from campaigns, polls from consultants purportedly supporting certain candidates and polls from entities which claim to be independent.

The results are, not surprisingly, all over the map…

We’ve covered this month’s previous polling (here and here), but late last week a new survey dropped from Atlanta-based Wick – which previously surveyed the race in late November (and released its findings in early December).

Wick’s first poll showed the Palmetto State’s top prosecutor, four-term attorney general Alan Wilson, leading the field with 22.2% of the vote. Wilson was followed by lieutenant governor Pamela Evette (15.7%), fifth district congressman Ralph Norman (12%), first district congresswoman Nancy Mace (10.5%) and scandal-scarred state senator Josh Kimbrell (1.9%).

How has the race changed since then? It hasn’t, really…

According to Wick’s latest gubernatorial survey – released in conjunction with an issues poll published by Palmetto Promise, a Columbia, S.C.-based think tank – Wilson continues to lead the field with 22.5% of likely South Carolina GOP primary voters supporting his candidacy.

That’s an uptick of 0.3% from Wick’s November poll.

Still in second place was Evette, who was backed by 17% of likely primary voters (up 1.3% from November). Moving back into third place, according to the poll, was Mace – who drew the support of 13.4% of the GOP electorate (up 2.9% from November). Meanwhile, Norman slipped back into fourth place despite inching up 0.5% to 12.5% support.

Nearly a third of the GOP electorate – 32.8% – was undecided.

Wilson touted the results of the survey as evidence of his campaign’s momentum headed into a pivotal stretch of the race.

“The momentum is undeniable,” Wilson wrote on X, claiming the survey showed “conservatives rallying around our campaign, strong leadership, public safety, and making South Carolina more affordable for families and small businesses.”

As mentioned, Wick’s data was collected in conjunction with the Palmetto Promise issues survey – the results of which we will be addressed in future coverage. For now, we are focused on the gubernatorial data… which continues to show a wide open race to replace the Palmetto State’s status quo chief executive, Henry McMaster, who is constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third full term in office.

“The jury is still out,” Palmetto Promise noted in its release of the numbers. “With more than four months left until the June 9th primary election, anything can happen!”

That’s correct… in fact, one of the candidates continues to demonstrate the veracity of that statement on a daily basis.

South Carolina’s partisan primary elections are scheduled for June 9, 2026. In the event no candidate wins a majority of votes on the first ballot – a probable outcome – a head-to-head runoff between the top two vote-getters would be held two weeks later (on June 23, 2026). The GOP primary is the race to watch in South Carolina, as Democrats haven’t won a gubernatorial election since 1998 – and haven’t won a statewide election since 2006. That means the GOP nominee in this race is all but assured of prevailing in the general election next November.

While Wilson and Evette have commanded the early attention, Mace remains in the hunt – and Norman is a wild card considering he has yet to start spending his ample resources. As the race continues to take shape, Mace and Norman appear to be jockeying for the “outsider” lane – while Wilson and Evette are seen as the candidates most palatable to traditional Republican primary voters.

Count on FITSNews to keep our audience apprised of the latest developments in the race…